Saturday, 31 March 2012

Skoda has unveiled a new advertisement "Colors Media" which also has a website www.skodamedia.cz . As per the website, the Skoda Fabia will be unveiled in various dual colors in which the roof and wheels would be colored differently, similar to Mini Cooper. Have a look at the Video to get more info in details.

Friday, 30 March 2012

Hindustan Motors has introduced an upgraded Mitsubishi Outlander 2012. The stylish and sophisticated SUV was launched earlier in 2010. Outlander’s 2.4-litre engine delivers 170-PS power and 226-Nm torque making it apt for both on-road and off-road driving.

The added features on the 2012 Outlander include keyless entry, split tailgate, 710 watt Rockford Fosgate music system with 6 CD changer & USB port and paddle shifters and cruise control. High contrast meter combination, leather upholstery and 3-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel with audio controls in the interior enhance the style and luxury quotient of the vehicle.

The Outlander’s safety features include HID headlamps, ABS and EBD along with RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) body and dual frontal airbags. The two additional seats on the third row are ideal for children.

Wanna Ride a Tanker to Squash a Car? One New Zealand company Started a Adventure Sport and they are offering frustrated drivers the opportunity to squash a car with a Centurion tank.

Tanks for Everything in Christchurch, Newzealand has a fleet of eight tanks, armored personnel carriers and Jeeps, the largest of which can easily crush a family sedan pancake-flat in a crescendo of squealing metal and shattering glass.

The pride of the operation is Maximus, a British-made Centurion battle tank, weighing 52 tons and powered by a V-12 Rolls Royce engine, which saw service with Australian forces in Vietnam in the early 1970s.

There’s also a Soviet-era T-55, an incongruous sight in New Zealand’s rolling green hills, which Tanks for Everything’s Matthew Sandland said was surprisingly easy to purchase from an arms dealer in Hungary.

“The Iraqis had these, the Afghans had these,” he said. “The dealers had over 100 and they sell them as fully functional battle tanks. We had to pay to have the gun deactivated to bring it to New Zealand.

“So basically anyone could have bought themselves a fully-functional battle tank if they wanted to.”
It is the latest artillery round in the battle for the adrenaline dollar in New Zealand’s NZ$3 billion ($2.5 billion) adventure tourism industry.

The island nation has marketed itself as a spiritual home for the white-knuckled traveller with rafting, bungee jumping, heli-skiing or “zorbing” — rolling downhill in an inflatable sphere resembling a giant hamster ball.
“New Zealand is arguably the dominant adrenaline tourism destination,” said Neil Carr, associate professor of Otago University’s tourism school.
“Part of this undoubtedly relates to the physical landscape of the country” along with savvy marketing, he noted.
Lahy-Neary admits that when it comes to his tanks, “it tends to appeal to blokes more,” but said customers range from teenagers to 80-year-olds celebrating their birthdays.
Rugby All Blacks Piri Weepu and Conrad Smith, as well as visiting members of US rock band Smashing Pumpkins have all had a drive.
Canadian tourist Michael Noel fulfilled a lifelong ambition by flattening one of Lahy-Neary’s cars, sourced from local junkyards, in the Centurion, describing it as “quite an experience”.
“(It) took a little getting used to the gears and so on, but once you get used to it, it’s an awesome ride,” he said. Playing with what could be the ultimate boys’ toy does not come cheap, with a 15 minute drive costing NZ$450 ($365) and an extra NZ$395 to crush a car.

Lahy-Neary, who has been fascinated with tanks since he was a child in Britain, said importing the beasts into New Zealand was harder than purchasing them, with police and customs officials unsure how to deal with his request.WATCH THIS VIDEO

“Everyone was a bit gob-smacked because they’d never been asked the question before,” he said, detailing the mountain of paperwork he had to negotiate to obtain the necessary licences and permits.
Even though the tanks had been disarmed, Lahy-Neary and his wife still had to get firearms licences to import them, leading to some puzzled reactions from local hunters also sitting the licence test.

“There were a lot of rugged looking mountain men who were obviously going to head off into the bush and shoot things,” he said.

“My wife, who’s about five foot two (157 centimeters), was sat there and someone turned to her and asked ‘what type of gun have you got?’
When she told him “oh, I’ve got a tank’he went quiet and never said another word.” :D

Ashok Leyland Defence Systems, a joint venture Company, engaged in the
manufacture of specialized tactical and armoured vehicles, today unveiled the first of the range of COLT
tactical vehicles - the Light Tactical Vehicle (4x4).

The Light Tactical Vehicleis being developed through the Company’s strategic partnership withPanhard
General Defense, France.In addition, a new range of product concepts and systems developed with
Krauss MaffeiWegmannGmbh (KMW), Germany, were also unveiled.

“India’s Defence sector is seeking greater participation from the private sector to shore up the nation’s
defenses and Ashok Leyland Defence stands poised to leverage technologies and partnerships to provide
tactical and armoured solutions to address our country’s defense requirements,” said Dr. V. Sumantran,
Chairman, Ashok Leyland Defence Systems. “Our product range will offer state-of-the-art performance
while achieving high levels of local content and cost competitiveness. Today, we are proud to unveil
the COLT 4x4 Light Tactical Vehicle which offers superior protection, improved agility and enhanced
performance, typical of our new range of vehicles,” he added.

COLT Light Tactical Vehicle (4x4)

The COLT Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV), jointly developed by Ashok Leyland Defence and PanhardGeneral
Defense, has excellent mobility owing to a power to weight ratio of over 34 horsepower per tonne. It
is equipped with a high performance chassis, a unique suspension system and an innovative patented
armoured hull. Essentially designed to carry out protected tactical liaison missions, the LTV can fill a
large array of roles such as escort, patrol and command vehicles. The product is battle-proven and over
2,000 are deployed across 15 countries.

Wednesday, 28 March 2012

Hyundai Motor India Ltd, India’s largest passenger car exporter and second largest manufacturer announced the launch of its All New iGen i20. The i-Gen i20 is available in 12 variants. The Petrol variants range from Rs 473,400 to Rs 665,894, the diesel variants range from Rs 596,334 to Rs 744,013 and the automatic variant is priced at Rs767,405.

As you would expect, the new i20 now gets a heavy facelift with Hyundai’s popular fluidic design language being incorporated in the updated design. As you can see in the photos, the new Hyundai i20 gets updated headlights, taillights, bumpers and a re-sculpted bonnet. The popular ‘F1-nose-like’ creases on the bonnet now make way for simpler lines and the bonnet size itself has reduced too. Also on offer are new eight spoke alloys, a roof spoiler, high-gloss treatment for the front grille, ORVM mounted turn blinkers etc.

The engines for the new i20 have undergone tuning changes as well – and that explains why the new i20 was being tested on the Indian roads for such a long time. The 1.2-litre Kappa engine now gets variable valve timing (VTVT) and produces 84 PS as opposed to the earlier model’s power output of 80 PS. The power outputs for the i20 diesel and the i20 automatic remain unchanged at 90 PS and 100 PS respectively. The fuel economy for the 1.2 petrol is claimed at 18.5 kmpl, 1.4-litre diesel at 21.9 kmpl and the 1.4 automatic at 15 kmpl.

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

US car maker General Motors has lined up a slew of new launches by year-end, including Multi- Purpose Vehicle 'Enjoy', a top company official has said.

General Motors India President and Managing Director Lowell C Paddock said 'Enjoy' would be the first product from their tie-up with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), China.

"We are exclusively announcing the MPV's name in Chennai. It is Enjoy. We will be introducing it by end of this year. It will be the first product from this tie-up," he told reporters after unveiling the Bharat Stage IV version of MUV Tavera Neo.

The car manufacturer had showcased the MPV concept and its hatchback -- Sail -- at Auto Expo 2012 at Delhi earlier this year.

Noting that the vehicle would be manufactured from its Halol plant and engines from Talegoan facility, GM India Vice President (Corporate Affairs) P Balendran said, the company would also introduce its hatchback "Sail" by July.

With the Goa government proposing a reduction in petrol prices by Rs 11, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla today said the other states especially the BJP ruled ones should emulate the step to ease the burden on the common man.

"As far as petrol and diesel are concerned, states get more tax than the Centre from petroleum products. They impose more tax and get more. If states abolish taxes, then it will ease the burden on the common man," he said.

Talking to reporters outside Parliament, he said long before Goa took the step, the Vilas Rao Deshmukh government in Maharashtra and the Andhra Pradesh government had initiated such a move.

"Central government had already reduced the custom duty...the share of the state govt is far bigger as far as money generated from petroleum products is concerned. State government should think over this (emulating Goa)," he said.

Shukla said the state government gets about 1.6 lakh crore as tax from petroleum products.

The Manohar Parrikar government had yesterday announced that only 0.1 percent value added tax (VAT) component would be levied by the state government during the presentation of the Budget.

Shukla said BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh as well as Bihar should also emulate the step.

Former Goa chief minister and Lok Sabha Member Francisco Sardinha said the move by the government was in keeping with the poll promise of the ruling party there.

Monday, 26 March 2012

General Motors India (GM) is planning to launch its fourth small car in the country, a premium hatchback "Sail", by July-September, a company official said Monday.

"We would be launching the Sail in Q3, and the small car segment along with the multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) will continue to be our main focus," said S. Sawhney, vice president, sales.

The automaker is also planning to launch a new version of Chevrolet Captiva and a new multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in 2012.

Asked about the foray into the light commercial vehicle (LCV) space with the launch of the sub-tonne truck this year, Sawhney said: "We never planned to launch the LCV in 2012."

The company August last year had announced the launch of LCV to be rolled out from its Halol plant in Gujarat.

The company is expecting to increase its market share which currently is 6.5 percent.

"The high interest rates and the rise in fuel prices had made the market sluggish but we expect it to improve shortly. We hope to increase our market share significantly," said Managing Director L.C. Paddock.

The company, which will be rolling out both diesel and petrol variants of the three passenger vehicles, will put major emphasis on the diesel variants as the auto industry has witnessed a big surge in the sales of diesel cars.

Sunday, 25 March 2012

The new will soon be unveiled by Maruti Suzuki. We had earlier also provided you with the spy shots, though they were camouflaged. We are now back with the clear images of the new car. Also, the features/additions that would take place in the new car are as follows :

No change in the rear end of the car.

Wider front grill and slightly changed style of bonnet.

The headlamps will also get minor changes to make the car look fresh and upgraded.

Maruti Suzuki will probably introduce VVT technology on the KB12 motor of the Ritz.

The VVT is already present in the new Swift which uses the same engine as the Ritz.

Steering mounted audio controls may be introduced on top variants

Changes in dashboard including Cup holders like we saw in New Swift are also possible.

A 4 speed automatic transmission could also be in place for top variant and could compete with i10

Friday, 23 March 2012

Tension gripped Suzuki Motorcycles India Private Limited (SMIPL), an ancillary unit of Maruti Suzuki in Haryana's Gurgaon, as the company suspended three union leaders on Friday.

Suzuki suspended and banned the entry of three employees: Suzuki Motorcycles Employees Union (SMEU) vice president Praminder Kumar, General Secretary Avinash Kumar and Secretary Gulshan Kumar were asked to stay away from the company premises. A copy of the order was pasted on the maingate of the company at Kherki Daula here.

Suzuki's Vice President (HR), Anil Munjal said they had taken disciplinary action against the suspended workers, who he alleged had indulged in a brawl with senior officers of the company.

On the other hand, Union secretary Gambhir Singh told IANS that the company management did not want incentives to be given to employees and that's why they were spoiling the working atmosphere at the plant.

Singh said: "At the meeting on Sep 12 last year, we were told that we would get our incentives in a maximum six months' time. On Wednesday, when we took up the matter with Vice President (HR), he started abusing us."A police force was deployed at the plant on a complaint by the administration. "

On the complaint of the management, we have deployed forces in the company premises," said a police official.Meanwhile, union leaders from Maruti Suzuki, Hero Moto Corp (earlier known as Hero Honda) and Powertrain India were busy in resolving the issue with the company management and officers from the labour department.

The new Audi TT is here.Apart from its iconic, sporty design and dynamic elegance, the TT is equipped with an efficient and powerful 2.0 TFSI that propels it from 0-100 in just 5.6 seconds.And it’s available for Rs. 48,36,000 (Ex-showroom Maharashtra) at your nearest Audi dealership.

The TT measures 4,1m long (not much longer than your Hyundai i20), is 1.8 m wide and and 1.3 m tall. The wheelbase measures 2,468 millimeters and it has seats for two fully grown adults and two smaller rear seat passengers. This is a coupe model and outer body weighs only 206kg to aid the car’s handling.

GM Korea Company, the South Korean division of General Motors, launched two special editions for the Chevrolet Spark compact car. First up is the Chevrolet Spark Tattoo which features some "Circles" vinyl on the exterior. What's more, it's available in Sapporo White with pink circles vinyl and Monaco Pink with white circles vinyl, it's available only in 1.0L engine, and it comes with 15-inch rims. This special edition Spark is targeted for the young Korean females.

For males, the car maker has launched the stripped version which is available in 8 colors:

Iceland Blue with White Stripes

Havana Green with White Stripes

Santorini Blue with White Stripes

Belgian Brown with White Stripes

Barcelona Red with White Stripes

Prague Black with White Stripes

Sapporo White with Black Stripes

Manhattan Silver with White Stripes.

Do you think GM India too should experiment in the similar fashion in India ?

Renault plans to introduce its own version of the Nissan Sunny in the second half of 2012. The re-badged saloon will be called the Scala, and will be mechanically identical to the Sunny. Which means that the Scala should come with the same 1.5-litre 97.6bhp motor that powers the Sunny, but it’s not clear whether Renault will offer the 1.5 petrol at launch.

The above said car is based on the same strategy which was adopted by Renault during launch of Renault Pulse, which is based on Nissan's Micra. Just like the Pulse, the Scala is expected to come with some cosmetic changes to give it a Renault identity and distinguish it from its Japanese sibling. However, these changes are likely to be minor, limited only to parts such as the bumper and grille.

Keeping with brand positioning within the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the Scala is expected to be priced marginally higher than the Sunny.

The country's second largest car maker Hyundai Motor India today launched a new version of its premium sedan Sonata, priced between Rs 18.53 lakh and Rs 20.61 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). "The all new Sonata powered by our GDi engine offers best-in-class features. Competitively priced the Sonata offers a stylish new choice to the premium customer," Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) Managing Director and CEO B S Seo said in a statement.

The company had showcased the sixth generation version of the Sonata at the 11th Auto Expo here in January.While the manual transmission version of the Sonata is priced at Rs 18,53 lakh, the automatic transmission one is available at Rs 20,61 lakh.

The company has launched the new Sonata with a 2.4 litre GDi petrol engine and a 6-speed transmission system.Besides, the new Sonata comes with a host of features like front and rear seat ventilation, front seat warmers, high intensity xenon head lamps, cruise control, six airbags.

Thursday, 22 March 2012

The IPL Edition II versions of the Volkswagen Polo and Vento will hit showrooms on March 15, 2012. The new models will sport additional equipment but will be offered at the same price as the regular variants.

After the success of the Vento IPL Edition in Season 4 of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Volkswagen India is all set to capitalise on Season 5 of the IPL with their Polo and Vento IPL Edition II.The IPL Edition II of the Volkswagen Polo and Vento will be available on the top variants of both cars.

Additional gizmos and goodies that both cars will get in IPL Edition II trim include a multimedia entertainment system featuring navigation and social networking options, and an interactive car pad for rear seat passengers to operate the multimedia system. The IPL Edition II cars will also feature dual tone leatherette seat covers, special floor mats, IPL door sill designs and IPL branding on the boot.

Neeraj Garg, member of Board and Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, commented on the special edition model strategy of the brand, by saying, “Last year we launched our first action model the Vento IPL Edition and there on introduced the Breeze models of both the Polo and the Vento. The immense response we received towards these special editions has prompted us to continue with the IPL Editions and this time with both our popular carlines-the Polo and the Vento.”

IPL Edition II of the Volkswagen Polo and Vento will be on display at showrooms across the country from March 15, 2012 onwards. Deliveries will begin from April 2012.

Ford Motor Co. says it laid the cornerstone for a new billion dollar factory in India. The plant will have the capacity to manufacture 240,000 cars and 270,000 engines a year when it's complete in 2014. The factory will produce cars for domestic consumers and for export.

Ford's move to expand its India business comes amid slowing car sales in India.So far during the fiscal year ending in March, car sales have crept up 0.3 percent, against the previous year's 29.5 percent surge.

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

The new Tavera which was showcased at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo, has a typically Chevrolet bow-tie grille with clear lens headlamp and integrated side-swept turn indicators. The front bumper has also been redesigned and now features round fog lamps along with a sporty mesh grille.

At the rear, the new Tavera gets clear lens treatment for the tail lamp cluster.On the inside, the Tavera Neo 3 gets a dual cockpit design like other Chevrolet cars, a 3-spoke steering wheel, new door trims and blue illumination for the refreshed instrument cluster. The rest of the interiors are the same as the outgoing model.

Hard pressed to increase the production of diesel cars, Maruti Suzuki India may decide within two months on setting up a diesel engine unit at its Gurgaon plant, a top company official said.

"After the Budget spared diesel tax, we really need to take a quick decision on how to increase the production of diesel cars. At the moment we are constrained by limited supply of the engines.

"So we need to make diesel engines on our own and we need to take a decision within a month or two," Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director Shinzo Nakanishi told.

The company, which sources diesel engines from Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd (SPIL) and Fiat India, had put on hold investments on the plant awaiting clarity over tax on diesel and a clear policy on its pricing.

Asked what are the options before the company, Nakanishi said: "We already have the engine manufacturing infrastructure at Gurgaon, so if we have to manufacture diesel on our own we may do it there. The only question is whether we compromise on petrol for diesel...these are decisions we need to take quickly."

MSI manufactures all the petrol engines at its Gurgaon plant and has an annual capacity of over eight lakh units.With demand for diesel cars increasing SPIL is increasing its diesel engine capacity to 3 lakh units per annum from 2.4 lakh units. Moreover, MSI will also get one lakh diesel engines a year from Fiat, which has already started since January this year.Demand for diesel cars have soared in India as petrol is priced much higher than the government subsidised diesel.

Hyundai Santa Fe is one of the few popular models of the company’s range that it yet not refreshed based on much popular fluidic design language. This is set to change, as Hyundai will unveil facelift 2013 Santa Fe along with bigger Veracruz at the New York Auto Show (NYIAS), which opens for pres on April 4.

Hyundai calls the design underpinning the 2013 Santa Fe as Storm Edge, a new variation of the Fluidic design philosophy. The 2013 Santa Fe looks quite striking with the brand new front end with new headlamps, a new fully chromed grille, new bumper and new fog lamps.The 2013 Santa Fe also gets daytime running lamps.

Recently, the brochures of new Hyundai Santa Fe were revealed, click on the image below to zoom the image.

Tuesday, 20 March 2012

Nissan till now has launched Micra and Sunny, simple yet convenient models for the Indian market. The car maker is till now trying to be safe for the market. The car maker should now introduce a model full of style for youth. The INVITATION hatch would be a perfect blend of showcasing cutting edge styling, practicality of a small car and the joy of a powerful engine .

Competition in India’s B-segment has not just turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the country’s discerning customers, but has also set the benchmark and at the same time helped revive the popularity of international auto brands the likes of Ford and Nissan with products like the Figo and the Micra.

The Micra has been and continues to be Nissan’s pillar of strength in India and while that’s making hay as the sun shines international auto conventions the likes of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show blurs out the present and pompously showcases the future.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has confirmed the revival of the Datsun brand, providing new details on the list of markets and nature of the product. The Datsun brand will be used expand the group’s presence in India, Russia and Indonesia with low cost models.

Carlos Ghosn on Datsun’s rebirth -

It’s a green car, affordable car, small displacement, high local content. It’s going to be a generous car.The first reborn Datsuns will rollout in 2014.

The first model could be a low cost vehicle along the lines of the Bajaj RE60.Renault-Nissan is said to be working on an A-Platform to build cars smaller than the Micra. Media reports have also claimed that Nissan and Ashok Leyland are working together on an affordable passenger vehicle. The third possibility is the V-Platform’s extended usage to manufacture cars like the Alto, Eon and Wagon R.

Emerging NBA star Jeremy Lin has signed a two-year contract with automaker Volvo to promote the company's cars around the world but especially in Asia.The Chinese-owned company said in statement Tuesday that Lin will participate in Volvo's worldwide corporate and marketing activities as a brand ambassador.

Lin was undrafted player and cut by two NBA teams before he shot to stardom with the New York Knicks this season. He's the NBA's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.China is a major market for the NBA. Earlier this month, NBA superstar LeBron James agreed to promote Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins ice cream in Asia.Volvo made the announcement in New York. It says the first commercials with Lin may appear as early as June.

The Capital is turning green with a vengeance. After promoting the use of electric cars and the use of green technologies, Delhi will soon see the solar-powered rickshaws on its roads. Around 1,000 of these rickshaws, which come in three variants, will be introduced in different parts of the Capital by June. Senior officials of the Delhi government's environment department said the final plan is to increase the number of such rickshaws, also called soleckshaws, to at least 10,000.

The plans also include allowing the use of these rickshaws by licensed operators at key archaeological sites, education institutions, corporate campuses, for waste disposal and in carrying goods in old, congested markets such as Chawri Bazaar, Chandni Chowk and Sadar Bazaar. The state government's environment department is considering a subsidy proposal to these solar-powered (battery fitted) rickshaws that can attain a maximum speed of up to 25 km/hr.

We already provide subsidies to green, battery-powered vehicles that operate in the city. Such vehicles get a 15 per cent subsidy on base price, VAT exemption and road tax refund. A similar proposal is under consideration for these rickshaws,' a senior officer of the state environment department said.The licences of these rickshaws have been approved by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi which will also select the routes (or areas) where they will operate.Government officials said areas where these rickshaws will be introduced in the first phase are Dwarka, Delhi University, Rohini, Pitampura and trans-Yamuna areas (East and North-East Delhi).These rickshaws have been designed and developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) with the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI). These designs are now being manufactured by six manufacturers selected by the government.

Ford EcoSport was firstly showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo. It was also reported by our readers that they have caught the car across various shopping malls which was later confirmed by the Ford India Officials that the car was out to various malls on a tour.

While we have seen the exteriors of the Ecosport, Ford has successfully managed to hide the interiors from the media and general public. Most of display setups were planned in such a way that the interiors remain a mystery to the audience. The concept of EcoSport was always placed above a tall platform along with tinted windows to keep the peepers away. This is the first time when the Interiors of Ford EcoSport were spied. Below are the images for you.

As per the Official news confirmed by Audi India, a new Sedan customized for the Indian market will be launched on 23rd March 2012. We guess the car to be an Audi TT Coupe, however the same has not been confirmed by the company officials and we will have to wait for 23rd March 2011 to watch the action.

The car will be launched at Mint Luxury Conference which is scheduled on the 23 and 24 March 2012 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai. There will be a Gala dinner on 23 March, which will be attended by many celebrity designers, luxury brand owners, marketers and connoisseurs.

If the Budget's excise increase has put off your plans to get a new set of wheels, don't worry. You can still get your car (or bike) at the old, pre-Budget prices, particularly if you booked your vehicle before the Budget or the dealer is selling older stock.

Car makers said the new rates will be applicable on dispatches to dealerships from March 16 onwards. Given that the Budget this year was bang in the middle of the month rather than at the end, dealerships will likely have old stocks which can and should be sold at the old rates. Which means customers can demand abetter price while choosing a new car, that is till stocks last.

"Bookings currently held by dealers will be offered at the older price, provided the dealers have the relevant stock," says Arvind Saxena, director (marketing and sales), Hyundai Motor India. Hyundai, like all other car and bike companies, will raise prices ranging from Rs 5,000 on the Eon to Rs 85,000 on the Santa Fe.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M ) will also be charging the marked-up price on its vehicles, only for new stock. "Starting from March 16 (Budget day), as we send vehicles, it will be with a new price tag. But what the dealers do with the existing stock is up to them. Technically, existing stock should be sold at the older price, but it's the dealer's prerogative," said Pawan Goenka, president (auto and tractor division), M&M.

Auto financiers said customers should demand at least an intervention - if not the old price tag - for vehicles booked before the Budget announcement . Given that the auto industry has been facing ademand slowdown, except in February when the expectation of an excise spurred sales, dealers can be persuaded to offer a better deal despite the excise hike. The booking issue is also important given that many diesel models - the only segment where demand has seen good growth in recent months - boast long booking lists.

Auto industry experts also said that with the service tax and excise duty increase impacting demand, car companies and dealers will have to roll out some promotional schemes to push sales. Car marketers already believe the double whammy will badly hit sentiment and the market may not bounce back in the second half of this financial year as earlier expected.

"The overall increase in prices, thanks to the excise and service tax hikes, will hit demand sentiment in the industry, squeezing disposable incomes for big ticket items like cars," said Saxena. "Interest rates remaining where they are, there will be pressure and, internally, our estimate for the industry is around 5-7 % growth," he said.

Monday, 19 March 2012

t's raining crossovers and SUVs in the current decade. And the new entries in the SUV segment comes from the Czech-based automaker Skoda who is mulling to develop two more SUVs, which will be introduced in the market in the next two to four years, including in India. The addition of two more vehicles is the part of Skoda's strategy to present a new model every six months, as announced by the automaker at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Skoda Snowman SUV will be based on the Volkswagen Tiguan that is expected to hit the market in 2014. And the second small SUV will be a follow-up to the current Skoda Yeti and is expected to arrive in 2016.

"There are several volume segments we are not currently in. We're discussing both directions at the moment (MPV and SUV.) Personally, I prefer SUVs. There is certainly space in the range for two SUVs, one bigger and one smaller than the Yeti. Whatever models we bring, they have to be compatible with our international markets, India, China and Russia." the company's technical director, Eckhard Scholz said in a statement.

Following the success of his debut before, Innova and Fortuner open multipurpose vehicle segment in 2012 with the upgraded version with significant enhancements: design is strong and sharp, interior comfort and luxury along with advanced safety features. Besides, Toyota Vietnam has also beefed up product line two new models: Innova E - 5-speed manual and Fortuner V - 4-speed automatic for the dynamic to meet the higher demands types of customers.

With continuous innovation, Innova and Fortuner are proud to give owners the true value of the good and prosperous life.

India's auto sales growth may not move into the negative zone this fiscal as feared earlier because of good pick up in demand during February and the first half of March, industry body SIAM said today.

It had earlier expressed concerns about the possibility of car sales declining in 2011-12 for the first time in nine years. "As of February, car sales growth in the domestic market for the fiscal is at 0.31 per cent. It is likely that we may end the year between 0-1 per cent growth," Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Director General Vishnu Mathur told PTI.

As per SIAM's latest data, during the April-February period, car sales in India stood at 17,86,249 units as against 17,80,740 units in the year-ago period.

Mathur said while car sales in first half of March were good as customers advanced purchases ahead of the Budget fearing price increase, the second half may not be as good as prices have gone up due to excise duty hikes. "So in March, the first half and the second half may cancel out each other with a net flat sales growth," he added.

In February, SIAM had said that the Indian passenger car sales may miss the target of 0-2 per cent growth, after revising it three times for 2011-12 thus hinting at the possibility of a decline for the first time in nine years.

In the April-January period this fiscal, domestic passenger cars sales fell by 1.19 per cent to 15,74,847 units from 15,93,850 units in the year-ago period.

However, sales had picked up in February posting 13.11 per cent growth to 2,11,402 units as customers rushed to buy vehicles fearing rise in prices post the Union Budget.

The last time domestic car sales witnessed a decline was in 2002-03 when it fell by 2.09 per cent to 5,53,022 units from the previous fiscal